HPD blotter for July 24

Staff report

POSTED:July 24, 2013 10:49 a.m.

June 10: Disorderly conduct — An officer was dispatched to the Country Inn and Suites after a customer dropped his keys down an elevator shaft. The customer called the fire department, but dispatchers said it would be another 45 minutes before they could respond. A hotel staff member said that she heard a customer say that he was not going to wait 45 minutes. The same customer walked down a hallway, and then the fire alarm went off. The employee identified the man to the officer, and the offender explained that he couldn’t wait that long because he had children to get home to. The man was issued a citation and given a court date.

June 13Theft by deception — An officer responded to a call in reference to a Craig’s List scam. A Hinesville man put his vehicle on the website and received a message from an interested buyer. The buyer informed the complainant that his agent would be picking up the vehicle as long as the complainant paid for pickup and transport. The complainant agreed to pay and transferred $700 through Western Union. Later the complainant checked his PayPal account, and it said no funds were available. The complainant had a suspicion that it was a scam, so he filed a report. Criminal trespass — A property manager of Summerwind Condos filed a report after she noticed damage to the inside of an apartment. An inspection was made May 29 putting the apartment in good condition, but when she went to show it to a possible renter, she saw plywood, furniture and black marks on the walls that weren’t there before. There also was a hole in the wall and shoe prints on kitchen appliances. The officer suspected the plywood was used as a skating ramp. Because there wasn’t any damage to the doors or windows, the officer was not able to tell how the suspects broke in.

June 14Theft by taking, Internet tablet — A Northgate Apartments resident reported his tablet worth $215 was stolen. The complainant told the officer that it was stolen out of his vehicle. When the officer arrived at the apartment complex, the complainant saw another man run into the woods. The complainant’s cousin made contact with the man who ran away, who briefly sat in the complainant’s backseat. The complainant has a strong suspicion that it was that man. Theft by taking — A Hinesville woman reported $159 stolen from her wallet by her grandmother. The wallet was lying on the table when the complainant’s grandmother took it. The grandmother told the officer that the complainant owed her money, but the complainant didn’t recall owing her grandmother any money. They pushed and shoved each other for the money, but eventually the grandmother gave the complainant’s money back, and the complainant stated she did not want to press charges. June 15Criminal damage — An officer was dispatched to Liberty Woods in reference to a woman’s car damaged. There was white spray paint on the vehicle, to include lines in various places and obscenities written on the complainant’s car doors. Also, two tires were slashed. DUI — An officer saw a vehicle traveling down E.G. Miles Parkway with what seemed to be a flat tire. The officer followed behind the vehicle, which turned into the Roundhouse Liquor Store parking lot. When the officer made contact with the driver to ask about his flat, he could smell alcohol on the driver. The driver admitted to drinking an hour earlier. He was given the field sobriety test, which he failed, as well as a breath sample, which was positive for alcohol. The driver was placed under arrest, and his car was picked up by Hodges Towing.

June 16Theft by taking — A Hinesville man residing on Wellington Way called an officer after noticing his bird bath and patio set missing. The bird bath was set up in the front yard and the patio set on the front porch before it went missing. The complainant does not know who took these items. The items together value $625.

June 17Criminal trespass — An officer was dispatched to Ali Avenue in Hinesville after a man returned home from work and noticed the fuse panels missing from his air-conditioning units. While the complainant waited for the officer, he found the fuse panels in the love-seat swing on his back patio. The fuse panels were placed back without any problem, but he didn’t know who removed them. Theft by taking — An officer reported to Varnedoe Street in Hinesville after a woman discovered her husband’s fishing poles and tackle box stolen from the bed of his truck. The officer could not further investigate because the victim and his truck were not present. The items together cost $900.

June 18Burglary, forced entry, residence — A Hinesville man’s residence located on Booker Street was burglarized between the hours of 6-10:30 p.m. His first sign was that his rear entrance was forced open. He searched through his residence and noticed his 60-inch flat-screen television, Playstation 3, $100 in change and some hats missing. His dresser drawers were open when he returned home. The complainant suspected it was his neighbors, who recently were released from jail and knew of the complainant’s daily routine. The missing items together value at $1,700. Theft by taking — An officer reported to Winchester Road in Hinesville after a woman noticed the spare tire missing from her Jeep Wrangler. The complainant last saw the tire on the vehicle the night before. The tire is valued at $600.